Surprise
by invisame
Summary: A hunter gets herself in trouble with demons looking for the Winchester brothers. Help comes from our favorite king of Hell and a totally unexpected source as well. One-shot.


**A/N: I own nothing but my own characters and situations. Also, let it be known that I do what I want. So no complaining that I didn't follow canon.**

I became aware of the pain first. Everything hurt. My muscles were tight and cramping, my head throbbed in rhythm with my heart. At least I was still alive. I mean I had to be if my heart was beating, right?

Moving my arms a little, I realized I was tied to a chair by my wrists and ankles. Okay, so that's not good. Ever so slowly I opened my eyes, blinking away the film holding them together. I really hoped that wasn't blood. When I raised my head to take in my surroundings, a fresh wave of pain washed through me.

Nothing around me told me anything about where I was. A rundown room with peeling paint, leaves on the floor and dirt everywhere. This could be any hunt, anywhere in the country. They all tended to look similar after a while. Hunt. That's right, I'd been hunting a demon. Only when I confronted him, there hadn't been one but several. I sighed as I remembered one of them knocking me out.

A low laugh came from somewhere behind me and I tensed. "So, the huntress awakes. Good. I was growing bored waiting for you."

"Listen, chuckles," I said, my voice sounding much calmer than I actually was, "I don't know what you brought me here for but things aren't going to go your way. I promise you that."

"Hoping your friends will rescue you, Liliana?" He stepped into my line of vision. The meat suit would have been attractive in a pretty boy way if it hadn't been for the pure black eyes. "Because I'm counting on it."

Irritation flared and I clenched my teeth. "So, I'm bait? You know, I've been bait before and it hasn't worked yet."

"On the contrary, it works every time. Word gets sent to the Winchesters and they come to the rescue. Every time," he contradicted me.

"This is true. And every time they gank the bastards that took me. Or I do before the boys even show up, so I'd say the whole bait thing hasn't been very successful up to this point. At least not for the bad guys. And you're a bad guy. Just something to think about."

The demon pulled out a large knife that glinted in the dim light. He began to flip it in the air and catch it repeatedly. "I'm not as stupid as the rest of them." He turned my chair around to show me the twenty or so demons that had been standing quietly behind me.

"Son of a bitch." Hopefully the boys would do what I had told them to if I was ever in this situation again.

He leaned next to my ear and chuckled again. "Worried now, huntress?"

I turned my head to glance at him. "No. I was calling you a son of a bitch. I'm not worried about anything, but you should be."

The demon growled in irritation and brought his hand down in one quick motion. Horrid, hot, punishing pain exploded through my thigh and I screamed. He grasped the handle of the knife now embedded in my leg and twisted, drawing out my scream. The sound only ceased when my throat was too raw to continue. The blade was jerked from my leg and I screamed again, the sound pathetic and tired this time.

My chin dropped to my chest as the demon laughed. I watched the blood pump from the wound and my head spun. Shit. I may have miscalculated his need to keep me alive.

"What did I tell you about taunting the demons, love?" the accented voice of one of my favorite people drifted to me from across the room and I breathed a sigh of relief. For once, the boys had listened to me.

"To not to," I muttered in my best Mater voice.

A dark chuckle from Crowley, the king of Hell himself, was the only response. I glanced in the direction of the sound to watch him step from the shadows at the edge of the room. As usual he was in a suit. One hand was in his pocket, the other was hanging by his side. His eyes ran over me, narrowing as he saw the wound in my leg. His hand fisted and he turned his attention to the demon beside me.

"What is she doing here?" His voice was tight but his face was blank, giving little away.

"She is the best way to get to the Winchesters."

A muscle in Crowley's cheek twitched. "I believe I decreed that Liliana Harmon was not to be touched."

"That—" He got no further than that before Crowley snapped his fingers and every demon in the room burst into black smoke.

I pouted as he came to stand in front of me. "You didn't fight them at all. That was no fun."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, sweetheart, but you're bleeding out. I decided that was more important than entertaining your desire for blood sport."

After releasing my bonds, he applied pressure to the wound and I hissed in pain. My head swam and my stomach flipped as I struggled not to puke.

Crowley looked at me, his eyes worried. "Call your angel, love. This needs to be healed now."

I closed my eyes and prayed, emphasizing the fact I'd probably die if he didn't show up. A rustle of wings filled the space and I lifted my head with a smile.

"Hey, hot stuff," Gabriel, my favorite angel said as he smirked at me. "What did you do this time?"

Crowley gaped at the supposedly deceased trickster. "What…how…" He blinked a couple of times then locked his gaze on mine. "Lily?"

I gave him a cockeyed smile and shrugged. "You did say to call my angel. Gabe's my angel. Cas belongs to the boys." My eyes felt heavy and I struggled to keep them open. "Gabe, do you mind?"

He came over and pressed his hands on the wound. Heat flared through me and I suddenly felt as though I had just awoken after twelve hours of sleep completely uninjured. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Thanks," I said as I pulled back.

"Anything for you. Make sure King Hell over there keeps his mouth shut, would you?" With that he disappeared.

I turned and slid my arms around Crowley's waist, burying my head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Liliana Harmon, you never cease to astound me."

I pulled back to look at him. "Why? Because I know Gabriel is alive?"

He cupped my chin in his hand and moved his face closer to mine. "No. Because not only does a not-supposed-to-be-alive archangel let you know he's alive, he comes to your rescue when you call, potentially exposing his secret to others. You got Moose and Squirrel to summon me on only your say so. And you have the king of Hell wrapped around your little finger."

A grin split my face. "That's because you all love me. I'm very lovable."

He captured my lips in a searing kiss. "That you are, love. That you are."


End file.
